The Vans Warped Tour was the first festival for many of us back in the day. As young'ns, it's likely we didn't necessarily think about all that went into figuring out the bands to book and play the whole shebang. Part of that process, at least locally, seems to be through a series "battle of the bands" style competitions specifically for landing a spot on the fest. Quite a few Portland bands have been furiously playing against one another for said spot, and djent/prog metal act Vow of Volition are one of the acts that made it to the finals.

Warped Tour was always the type of festival that included much in the realm of pop punk, punk punk, emo and metal, so Vow of Volition's advancement to the final round is no surprise. Their incredibly technical, at times jazzy metal stands out in Portland's pretty linear popular music scene, and is much worthy of the attention its getting.

Bryson Cone dropped his song “Destination Nightmare,” and it’s every bit as dreamy and jazzy as it sounds. This song takes you waltzing on the moon while a full band, complete with holographic keytars, plays in the background. The distortion of Cone’s voice is romantic and dreamy, but also has some more serious notes. He keeps the track, and thus the audience, focused. This in turn allows for a fuller appreciation of the song’s artistry. It is an intricately layered song, which makes sense given Cone’s background in mixed media and sound collage. Cone’s talent is made perfectly clear with “Destination Nightmare.” We can’t wait to see where he heads next.

Next Saturday, January 26th at Speck's, Arbor Daze, Sunbaby, and Juracán will be playing an all-ages show. Juracán is fresh off his release of Niño, so you should take advantage of any opportunity to see it performed live as soon as you can. It’s a guaranteed night of soft, moody music. If you have some old friends you want to catch up with, or just want to nod off to some calming tunes, make sure to pop in. Doors are at 6, and you can find more info on the facebook page here.

The Deli Magazine was born in NYC's Attorney Street in 2004, in the shape of a print issue with a then unknown band on its cover, called Grizzly Bear. Ths NYC blog came in 2005, then the SF one in 2006, and then 9 more in the following years. The Deli is focused on the coverage of emerging bands and solo artists with a 100% local focus - no exceptions!